Container filler with excess product removal assembly

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for continuously filling containers with particulate material and removing excess material from the filled containers to achieve the desired level of fill in the containers. The apparatus includes a container drive means, a feeder means for filling the containers with an excessive quantity of particulate material, and product return means for receiving and returning spillage and excess product back to the feeder means. An excess product removal assembly includes a shaker plate which engages the sides of the containers and supports them on the container drive means in a transversely tilted position at a desired angle of tilt, and a vibrator on the shaker plate which vibrates the shaker plate in a transverse direction to eject material in excess of a desired quantity from the containers onto the product return assembly.

United States Patent [1 1 Ajero [451 Aug. 26, 1975 1 CONTAINER FILLER WITH EXCESS PRODUCT REMOVAL ASSEMBLY [75] Inventor: Fortunato S. Ajero, South Milwaukee, Wis.

[73] Assignee: Hughes Company, Inc., Columbus,

' Wis;

[22] Filed: Jan. 22, 1974 [21]. Appl. No.: 435,500

[52] US. Cl. 141/124; 53/167; 141/168;

141/378; 222/164 [51] Int. Cl. B6513 3/04 [58] Field of Search 53/167; 141/11, 12, 45,

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,217,760 11/1965 Eisenberg 141/78 X 3,298,404 1/1967 Eiscnbcrg 141/168 x Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Assistant Examiner-Frederick R. Schmidt Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Theodore J. Long; John M. Winter; Harry C. Engstrom [5 7] ABSTRACT Apparatus for continuously filling containers with particulate material and removing excess material from the filled containers to achieve the desired level of fill in the containers. The apparatus includes a container drive means, a feeder means for filling the containers with an excessive quantity of particulate material, and product return means for receiving and returning spillage and excess product back to the feeder means. An excess product removal assembly includes a shaker plate which engages the sides of the containers and supports them on the container drive means in a transversely tilted position at a desired angle of tilt, and a vibrator on the shaker plate which vibrates the shaker plate in a transverse direction to eject material in excess of a desired quantity from the containers onto the product return assembly.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures CONTAINER FILLER WITH EXCESS PRODUCT REMOVAL ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to container filling apparatus, and more particularly to continuous filler machines having apparatus for removing excess product from overfilled containers.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various types of filling machines have been developed for continuously filling containers with particulate materials, and particularly food materials such as fruits and vegetables. An important requirement for commercial filling machines is the capability of uniformly filling containers in a high speed, continuous manner, without any unlawful underfill or substantial overfill. One common method of complying with that requirement is to initially overfill all containers to insure that there will be no underfill in any one container, and then to shake out or otherwise eject the excess fill from each container to achieve the level of fill desired. Examples of such equipment are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,719,661, 2,937,670, 3,298,404 and 3,556,172, and copending application Ser. No. 356,939, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,431, all of which illustrate various means for removing excess product from containers. The excess product removed from the containers is then recycled back to the filling mechanism for refilling in subsequent containers.

It is readily apparent from an examination of the above identified patents and application that different filling conditions require excess product removal apparatus having different capabilities. Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,719,661 which relates to a machine for bottling olives, which are easily displaced, employs a simple tilting device to remove olives which project beyond the bottle top. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,937,670, 3,556,172 and co-pending Ser. No. 356,939, apparatus is provided to tilt and vibrate the filled containers to remove excess products. However, the vibrating means is in each case integral with the underlying conveyor and the apparatus is not readily susceptible to adjustment to remove a precise amount of product from the container. I

U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,404 is directed to the more difficult problem of filling a container merely to a predetermined level corresponding to a major fraction of the volume of the container rather than to completely fill it. This is a common requirement with food materials where the containers are partially filled to a level corresponding to a fraction of the capacity of the container such as two-thirds full, and the unfilled fraction of the container provides space to receive syrup or other product and for expansion during further processing. Although filling apparatus of the type shown in copending application Ser. No. 356,939 has been developed which with most products permits a minimum amount of overfill during the filling process, it is still necessary in most cases to overfill the containers to some extent and to provide apparatus for ejecting product in excess of the desired fractional volume from within the interior of the container after filling.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,404 shows a mechanism for ejecting excess product from filled containers by the employment of means for swinging the container transversely to the path of the conveying of the container and about an axis extending below the upper portion of the container whereby centrifugal force urges material in excess of the predetermined desired level to be ejected from the container. Although this method of ejecting excess product has been employed successfully on a widespread basis, it has the disadvantage of complexity and substantial expense.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My improved filler machine with excess product removal assembly employs in combination with a container drive means, a feeder means and a product return means, improved apparatus for removing excess product from overfilled containers which is mechanically simple, completely accessible and susceptible to easy adjustment to permit precise excess product removal under widely varying conditions.

A container drive means continuously conveys containers through a filling zone, where a feeder means fills the containers with a quantity of particulate material in excess of the minimum quantity required within the containers.

A shake-out zone is provided downstream from the filling zone by the employment of my improved excess product removal assembly. As filled containers with excess product are conveyed by the container drive means into the shake-out zone, they are mechanically diverted into a transversely tilted position wherein the inclined bottom of the container is supported by the container drive means, and the side of the container is supported by an elongated shaker plate which extends along one side of the container drive means in spaced relation thereto. The shaker plate is engaged by a carriage assembly in supporting relation, and the carriage assembly is in turn adjustably mounted on a stationary guide plate assembly secured to the filler machine. A vibrator assembly is attached to the shaker plate to transversely vibrate the shaker plate and the tilted containers partially supported thereon to cause product in excess of a desired quantity to be ejected from the container onto the product return means for return to the feeder means. As the tilted containers approach the downstream end of the shaker plate, the containers are mechanically returned to an upright position on the container drive means for further processing.

The carriage assembly is slideably supported on the guide plates by support bolts and is secured in any desired position by locking nuts. The carriage assembly can be easily adjusted to change the position of the shaker plate and the corresponding angle of tilt of the containers by loosening the locking nuts, changing the position of the carriage assembly on the guide plates and retightening the locking nuts. Accordingly, the greater the angle of tilt from the vertical of the containers supported on the shaker plate, the lesser the amount of a given product which will be retained within a given container as it passes through the shakeout zone.

Other objects, features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention has been selected for exemplification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partially schematic perspective view of my invention, showing the general arrangement of my excess product removal assembly in combination with the container drive means, feeder means and product return means.

FIG. 2 is a partial section view taken along section line 2-2 of FIG. 1, with portions broken out and removed for illustrative purposes.

FIG. 3 is a partial section view taken along section line 3-3 of FIG. 1, but illustrating my carriage assembly and shaker plate in a different position than that shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of my excess product removal assembly viewed in a direction opposite to that of FIG. 1, with the assembly detached from the filling machine and the center portion broken out for ease of illustration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, a preferred embodiment of my improved container filler with excess product removal assembly is generally represented by reference number in FIG. 1. The container filler 10 schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 is generally of the type disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 356,939, now US. Pat. No. 3,834,431, and includes a frame 11 which supports a container drive means including a longitudinally extending container conveyor assembly 12 having a motor driven continuous conveyor belt 13 which travels on pulleys 14 mounted between side plates 15. The conveyor assembly 12 conveys a multiplicity of containers, shown schematically in dotted lines at 16 in FIGS. 2 and 3, along a longitudinal path in a continuous manner.

The frame 11 also supports a feeder means which includes a vibratory feeder assembly 17 positioned above the conveyor assembly 12 having a longitudinally vibrated two stage feeder pan l8. Particulate product is initially supplied to the feeder assembly 14 by any conventional delivery means (not shown) such as a hopper, elevator, vibratory conveyor or the like. The feeder pan 18 has a horizontal upper feed surface 19 with diagonal discharge edges 19a which longitudinally distribute the product along a pair of opposed inclined lower feed surfaces 20. The lower feed surfaces 20 in turn feed the product through a longitudinal slot 21 defined between the inclined lower feed surfaces 20 into containers 16 passing longitudinally beneath the slot 21. The area in which the containers 16 receive product from the feeder assembly 17 is referred to herein as the filling zone.

A product return means includes a product return assembly 22 having a longitudinally vibrated return pan 23 which underlies the container conveyor assembly 12 beneath the filling zone to receive any product which is not received by the containers 16 during the continuous filling operation due to spillage and the like. The vibrating return pan 23 conveys the spilled product back toward the upstream end of the conveyor assembly l2 and discharges the product into the second stage of the product return assembly 22, namely a rotary ferris-wheel elevator 43 which lifts the product upwardly to a position above the feeder assembly 17 where it is discharged onto the horizontal upper feed surface 19 for recycling.

After the containers 16 have passed through the filling zone and have been filled to at least the fractional level of product required within the container 16, and usually in excess of the required level, the containers continue to be conveyed longitudinally by the conveyor assembly 12 to a downstream position where an excess product removal assembly 24 combines with the conveyor assembly and product removal assembly to define a shake-out zone for removing any excess product from within the containers. The location of the excess product removal assembly 24 is best shown in FIG. 1, wherein it is illustrated only schematically in an incomplete manner. The details of my excess product removal assembly 24 are shown more completely in FIGS. 2-4, wherein the apparatus is shown in different adjustment positions for purposes of exemplification.

As the conveyor belt 13 conveys each container 16 into the shake-out zone, the container guide bars 25 which maintain the containers in an upright position on the conveyor belt 13 have oblique extensions 26 shown in FIG. 2 which provide means for diverting the container into a transversely tilted position illustrated by dotted lines at reference number 27. In the illustrated tilted position, the bottom of the container 27 continues to be supported by the conveyor belt 13, but in addition the lower portion of the side wall of the container is supported by an elongated shaker plate 28 which is preferably covered on its upper side by resilient means in the form of a rubber facing 29 to present a resilient supporting surface for engagement of the tilted containers 27. FIG. 3, wherein the conveyor assembly is shown in section, illustrates that the conveyor side plate 15 nearest the shaker plate 28 has a bevelled cut-out section 15a to permit the container to be transversely tilted on the conveyor belt 13 without interference by the side plate 15. The transverse angle of tilt from the vertical of the containers 27 is determined by the position of the shaker plate 28. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the shaker plate and tilted containers in two different positions.

The position of the shaker plate 28 is determined by the position of the carriage assembly 30 which engages the ends of the shaker plate 28 in supporting relation by means of bolt and nut assemblies 61 to provide adjustable means for mounting the shaker plate. Resilient bushings 62 best shown in FIG. 4 are preferably inserted between the shaker plate 28 and the carriage assembly 30 and bolts 61 to partially insulate the carriage assembly and other components of the filler machine 10 from the vibrations of the shaker plate. The bushings are preferably made of ethylene-propylene material.

The carriage assembly 30 includes a left side slide support 31 and a right side slide support 32, each of which includes a slotted channel member 31a and 32a respectively, and a slide member, 31b and 32b respectively, adjustably engaged within its associated slotted channel member by projecting bolt and nut assemblies 310 and 32c, respectively. The slide members 31b and 32b additionally respectively include inwardly projecting support flanges 31d and 32d which engage and support the bolt and nut assemblies 61 and the shaker plate 28. The slotted channel members 31a and 32a extend respectively from left side support bracket 33 and right side support bracket 34. The support brackets 33 and 34 are connected to the respective left and right ends of a tilt adjustment bar 35 by bar end brackets 36 so that movementof the tilt adjustment bar will cause corresponding movement of the entire carriage assembly The carriage assembly also includes a channel support bar 37 attached to each support bracket and extending therefrom approximately perpendicular to the associated slide support attached to the same support bracket. The channnel support bars 37 are preferably threaded at their upper ends to each adjustably engage a slotted channel adjustment bar 38 between threadedly engaged adjustment nuts 40. The channel adjustment bars 38 each extend approximately parallel to the side support associated with the common support bracket, and preferably are connected to each other at their upper and lower ends by reinforcing side frame members 39. The lower ends of the channel adjustment bars 38 engage the ends of an elongated channel bar 41 which extends substantially parallel to the shaker plate 28. The channel bar preferably consists of a plurality of parallel spaced rods for engaging the sides of tilted containers 27 of various heights as they pass thorugh the shaker zone. The shaker plate 28 and channel bar 41 together define between them an elongated channel in which the tilted containers are maintained as they pass through the shake-out zone.

The carriage assembly 30 is adjustably mounted on the filler machine by means of a guide plate assembly 42. The guide plate assembly includes a left side guide plate 43 and a right side guide plate 44 which are connected by a cross member 45. The guide plates 43 and 44 are fixedly mounted on the frame 11 of the machine by bolt and nut assemblies 63, as best shown in FIG. 3. An indicator plate 46 is preferably connected to the right side guide plate 44 and cross member 45 in parallel relation to the guide plate 44. The guide plates 43 and 44 have axially aligned guide slots 47 and 48. The edges 49 ofthe guide slots 47 and 48 provide guide means for slideably mounting support brackets 33 and 34 of the carrier assembly to permit convenient adjustment of the position of the shaker plate 28 and angle of transverse tilt of the containers 27. The carrier assembly 30 includes a plurality of support bolts 50 which slideably support the carriage assembly 30 on the guide edges 49 of the arcuate slots 47 and 48. Each support bolt 50 extends through the guide slot 47 or 48 of one of the guide plates 43 or 44, and through the adjacent support bracket 33 or 34. The support bolts 50 are preferably threaded to receive locking means which may be threaded locking nuts 51, or other suitable means for adjustably securing the bolts through the support brackets and the guide plates in selected fixed locations.

As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the locking means preferably includes on one support bolt securing each support bracket to each guide plate a flange bushing 52 and a conventional toggle clamp 53 which engages the support bolt 50 and flange bushing 52 by cam action to provide a quick-lock, quick-release locking means on each side of the carriage assembly 30. In the preferred arrangement illustrated, the position of the carriage assembly 30 and shaker plate 28 can be adjusted by simply loosening one locking nut 51 on each side of the carriage assembly, and then unlocking the carriage assembly from the guide plate assembly 42 by releasing the toggle clamp 53 on each side of the carriage assembly. The carriage assembly 30 may then be moved by grasping the tilt adjustment bar 35 and pushing the carriage assembly 30 along the arcuate path defined by the guide edges 49 of the guide slots 47 and 48 to a new position which provides the desired angle of transverse tilt for the containers 27 engaged betweeen the shaker plate 28 and channel bar 41. The carriage assembly can be quickly secured in the desired position by locking the toggle clamps 53 and then tightening the locking nuts 51. Thus, it is seen that adjustment of the position of the carriage assembly 30 on the guide assembly 42 is the only adjustment required to change the angle of transverse tilt of the containers.

The previously described indicator plate 46 carries indicia adjacent to the path of travel of the adjacent end bracket 36 of the tilt adjustment bar 35, as best shown in FIG. 2, to indicate the position of the carriage assembly 30 on the guide plate assembly 42 for ease of adjustment. In FIG. 2 the carriage assembly 30 is shown in an extremely low position wherein the tilted containers are supported at a very low angle. In FIG. 3 the carriage assembly has been raised to a higher, more normal operating position, wherein the tilted container is closer to the vertical than the horizontal. It can be readily seen from the drawings that adjustment limits of the carriage assembly 30 are determined by the arcuate length of the guide slots 47 and 48, which as shown will allow the container 27 to be supported in positions ranging from vertical to nearly horizontal. As previously indicated, the operating angle of tilt will be dependent upon the level of product desired within the container, and the characteristics of the container and the product.

The carriage assembly 30 can also be adjusted to accommodate containers of various sizes. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate adjustments for different sized containers. The width of the channel defined between the shaker plate 28 and the channel bar 41 should be slightly greater than the width of the containers to allow free passage of the containers through the channel, and is adjusted by moving the channel adjustment bars 38 in or out on the channel support bars 37 by means of adjustment nuts 40. The height of the container is accommodated by lengthening or shortening the left and right side slide supports 31 and 32, and by lowering or raising the channel adjustment bars 38 on the channel support bars 37 by means of the adjustment nuts 40.

The shaker plate 28 additionally includes a pair of vibrator mounting lugs 28a which extend from the upper and lower edges of the shaker plate 28, preferably at its mid-point, to provide a mounting for an air-driven vibrator 54. The mounting lugs 28a have studs 28b extending from the back sides thereof to engage the housing of the vibrator 54. The vibrator is secured on the studs by means of locking nuts 280.

The vibrator 54 is preferably a pneumatic, pistontype linear vibrator which will cause the shaker plate 28 to vibrate in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the plate 28. The vibrator may be of any conventional construction which will effectively vibrate a multiplicity of containers engaged by the shaker plate 28. Although a linear vibrator is preferable, other types of vibrators would also be suitable. The vibrator is supplied with air by air line 55 and conventional controls (not shown) which may be adjustable to permit selective adjustment of the amplitude of the vibrations imparted to the shaker bar 28 by the vibrator 54 for greater flexibility in adjusting the quantity of product to be retained in the containers.

In operation, containers in a continuous container line which have been filled with a particulate product to a level equal to or in excess of that required will be delivered to the shake-out zone by the conveyor assembly 12, where each container will be diverted by the oblique extensions 26 of the container guide bars into a transversely tilted position against the rubber facing 29 on the shaker plate 28, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The shaker plate 28 will be vibrated in a continuous, uniform manner by the vibrator 54. Thus, each filled container 27 will be maintained in a constant transversely tilted position as it is conveyed along the length of the vibrating shaker plate 28 by the conveyor belt 13 until it reaches the downstream end of the shaker plate and container guide bar oblique extensions 26, which provide means for diverting the container back to an upright position. It will also be vibrated in a uniform manner during the entire length of its travel along the shaker plate 28. Accordingly, I have found that after such handling in the shake-out zone, the amount of product which will remain in each container will be very uniform. If it is desired to vary the level of product to be retained in the containers after shake-out, or if the characteristics of the product being filled change, it is a simple matter to increase or decrease the amount of product which will be retained in each container by merely changing the position of the carrier assembly 30 on the guide plate assembly 42, thereby changing the position of the shaker plate 28 and the transverse angle of tilt of the containers 27 as previously described.

The particulate material which is ejected from the containers due to tilting and vibrating the container within the shake-out zone will be received on the return pan 23, which extends beneath the conveyor along the entire length of the shake-out zone, as shown in the drawings. In addition, a wing extension 23b of the return pan 23 is positioned above the pan 23 and to the outside of the excess product removal assembly 24 for substantially its entire length to receive any ejected product which would otherwise escape over the upper edge of the return pan 23, and then deflect the ejected product back down onto the return pan 23 where it is conveyed back to the ferris-wheel elevator 23a and vibratory feeder assembly 17 for recycling, as previously described.

If the tiller machine is intended to be used for the filling of particulate food products, all metal parts of the excess product removal assembly 24 should be fabricated of stainless steel for sanitary reasons. The air hose 55 which supplies the vibrator 54 is preferably neoprene plastic.

It will be readily apparent that my excess product removal assembly 24 may be used in combination with feeder means and product return means other than those employed in the preferred embodiment illustrated and described herein, without departing from the teachings of my invention.

It is understood that my invention is not limited to the particular construction or arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described but embraces all such modifications thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An improved machine for continuously filling containers with particulate material including a container drive assembly for continuously conveying containers through a filling zone and through an excess product shake-out zone and having guide bars which divert the containers into a transversely tilted position as they enter the shake-out zone, a feeder assembly for filling the containers within the filling zone with an excess quantity of particulate material, and a product return assembly for receiving and returning excess product ejected from the containers back to the feeder means, wherein the improvement comprises:

a. an elongated shaker plate extending alongside the container drive assembly downstream from the filling zone to define the length of the shake-out zone,

b. a carriage assembly engaging the ends of the elongated shaker plate in fixed supporting relation, the carriage assembly being adjustably mounted on the machine to selectively position the shaker plate to receive and engage the side walls of containers diverted into transversely tilted position by the container guide bars and support the containers in the selected tilted position as they are conveyed the length of the shake-out zone by the container drive assembly, and

c. a vibrator attached to the shaker plate between the fixed supported ends thereof to transversely vibrate the shaker plate and cause excess particulate material to be ejected from containers supported by the shaker plate onto the product return assembly.

2. The machine specified in claim 1 wherein the carriage assembly supports an elongated channel bar in opposed parallel relation to the shaker plate to define an elongated channel between the bar and the plate within which filled containers are maintained while the containers are engaged by the vibrating shaker plate.

3. The machine specified in claim 1 wherein resilient facing material is attached to the shaker plate to provide a resilient supporting surface for engagement of the containers.

4. The machine specified in claim 1 wherein:

a. a guide plate assembly is mounted in fixed relation on the machine and has arcuate guide means thereon for adjustably mounting the carriage assembly in slideable relation, and

b. means for retaining the carriage assembly in selected fixed position on the arcuate guide means whereby the containers will be supported in the selected tilted position by the shaker plate.

5. The machine specified in claim 4 wherein the carriage assembly includes:

a. a pair of support brackets slideably supported by the guide plate assembly guide means,

b. a pair of slide supports, each having one end thereof attached to one of the support brackets and the other end thereof engaging one end of the shaker plate in supporting relation, the slide supports being adjustable for length to permit adjustment of the distance between the guide means and the shaker plate, and

c. a tilt adjustment bar extending between the support bracket whereby movement of the tilt adjustment bar will cause movement of the carriage assembly on the guide means to change the angle of tilt at which a filled container is supported on the container drive assembly by the shaker plate.

6. The machine specified in claim 5 wherein the carriage assembly additionally includes:

a. a channel support bar attached to each support bracket and extending therefrom approximately perpendicular to the associated slide support attached to the support bracket,

b. a channel adjustment bar adjustably engaged on each support bar and extending therefrom approximately parallel to the associated slide support, and

c. an elongated channel bar engaged at each end by the channel adjustment bar. and extending substantially parallel to the shaker plate to define an elongated channel between the shaker plate and the channel bar in which the filled containers are maintained while engaged by the vibrating shaker plate.

7. The machine specified in claim 4 wherein the guide plate assembly additionally includes indicia adjacent to a portion of the slideably supported carriage assembly to indicate the position of the carriage assembly on the guide plate assembly.

8. Apparatus for removing excess product from overfilled containers on a machine having a continuous container conveyor which will divert containers into a transversely tilted position and will advance the containers along the conveyor while so tilted, comprising:

a. an elongated shaker plate extending alongside the conveyor to receive and engage the side walls of containers conveyed by the conveyor in a transversely tilted position,

b. a carriage assembly engaging the ends of the shaker plate in fixed supporting relation, the carriage assembly being adjustably mounted on the machine to selectively position the shaker plate with respect to the conveyor to support the containers in a selected tilted position as they are conveyed the length of the shaker plate by the conveyor, and

c. a vibrator attached to the shaker plate between the fixed supported ends thereof to transversely vibrate the shaker plate and cause excess particulate mate rial to be ejected from tilted containers supported by the shaker plate.

9. The machine specified in claim 8 wherein:

a. a guide plate assembly is mounted in fixed relation on the machine and has arcuate guide means thereon for adjustably mounting the carriage assembly in slideable relation, and

b. means for retaining the carriage assembly in selected fixed position on the arcuate guide means whereby the containers will be supported in the selected tilted position by the shaker plate.

10. The apparatus specified in claim 8 wherein the carriage assembly includes:

a. an elongated channel bar extending substantially parallel to the shaker plate to define an elongated channel between the shaker plate and the channel bar in which the filled containers are maintained while partially supported by the shaker plate, and

b: means for adjustably supporting the channel bar.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,901,294 Dated August 26, 1975 Inventor(s) Fortunato S. Ajero It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the Specification:

Column 5, line 13 "side" should be "slide" Column 5, line 21 "thorugh" should be "through" Column 5, line 39 "carrier" should be "carriage" Column 5, line 41 "carrier" should be "carriage" Column 6, line 4 "betweeen" should be "between" In the Claims:

Column 8, line 59 "bracket" should be "brackets" Signed and Sealed this fourteenth D ay Of October 19 75 [SEAL] A ttes t:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks 

1. An improved machine for continuously filling containers with particulate material including a container drive assembly for continuously conveying containers through a filling zone and through an excess product shake-out zone and having guide bars which divert the containers into a transversely tilted position as they enter the shake-out zone, a feeder assembly for filling the containers within the filling zone with an excess quantity of particulate material, and a product return assembly for receiving and returning excess product ejected from the containers back to the feeder means, wherein the improvement comprises: a. an elongated shaker plate extending alongside the container drive assembly downstream from the filling zone to define the length of the shake-out zone, b. a carriage assembly engaging the ends of the elongated shaker plate in fixed supporting relation, the carriage assembly being adjustably mounted on the machine to selectively position the shaker plate to receive and engage the side walls of containers diverted into transversely tilted position by the container guide bars and support the containers in the selected tilted position as they are conveyed the length of the shake-out zone by the container drive assembly, and c. a vibrator attached to the shaker plate between the fixed supported ends thereof to transversely vibrate the shaker plate and cause excess particulate material to be ejected from containers supported by the shaker plate onto the product return assembly.
 2. The machine specified in claim 1 wherein the carriage assembly supports an elongated channel bar in opposed parallel relation to the shaker plate to define an elongated channel between the bar and the plate within which filled containers are maintained while the containers are engaged by the vibrating shaker plate.
 3. The machine specified in claim 1 wherein resilient facing material is attached to the shaker plate to provide a resilient supporting surface for engagement of the containers.
 4. The machine specified in claim 1 wherein: a. a guide plate assembly is mounted in fixed relation on the machine and has arcuate guide means thereon for adjustably mounting the carriage assembly in slideable relation, and b. means for retaining the carriage assembly in selected fixed position on the arcuate guide means whereby the containers will be supported in the selected tilted position by the shaker plate.
 5. The machine specified in claim 4 wherein the carriage assembly includes: a. a pair of support brackets slideably supported by the guide plate assembly guide means, b. a pair of slide supports, each having one end thereof attached to one of the support brackets and the othEr end thereof engaging one end of the shaker plate in supporting relation, the slide supports being adjustable for length to permit adjustment of the distance between the guide means and the shaker plate, and c. a tilt adjustment bar extending between the support bracket whereby movement of the tilt adjustment bar will cause movement of the carriage assembly on the guide means to change the angle of tilt at which a filled container is supported on the container drive assembly by the shaker plate.
 6. The machine specified in claim 5 wherein the carriage assembly additionally includes: a. a channel support bar attached to each support bracket and extending therefrom approximately perpendicular to the associated slide support attached to the support bracket, b. a channel adjustment bar adjustably engaged on each support bar and extending therefrom approximately parallel to the associated slide support, and c. an elongated channel bar engaged at each end by the channel adjustment bar and extending substantially parallel to the shaker plate to define an elongated channel between the shaker plate and the channel bar in which the filled containers are maintained while engaged by the vibrating shaker plate.
 7. The machine specified in claim 4 wherein the guide plate assembly additionally includes indicia adjacent to a portion of the slideably supported carriage assembly to indicate the position of the carriage assembly on the guide plate assembly.
 8. Apparatus for removing excess product from overfilled containers on a machine having a continuous container conveyor which will divert containers into a transversely tilted position and will advance the containers along the conveyor while so tilted, comprising: a. an elongated shaker plate extending alongside the conveyor to receive and engage the side walls of containers conveyed by the conveyor in a transversely tilted position, b. a carriage assembly engaging the ends of the shaker plate in fixed supporting relation, the carriage assembly being adjustably mounted on the machine to selectively position the shaker plate with respect to the conveyor to support the containers in a selected tilted position as they are conveyed the length of the shaker plate by the conveyor, and c. a vibrator attached to the shaker plate between the fixed supported ends thereof to transversely vibrate the shaker plate and cause excess particulate material to be ejected from tilted containers supported by the shaker plate.
 9. The machine specified in claim 8 wherein: a. a guide plate assembly is mounted in fixed relation on the machine and has arcuate guide means thereon for adjustably mounting the carriage assembly in slideable relation, and b. means for retaining the carriage assembly in selected fixed position on the arcuate guide means whereby the containers will be supported in the selected tilted position by the shaker plate.
 10. The apparatus specified in claim 8 wherein the carriage assembly includes: a. an elongated channel bar extending substantially parallel to the shaker plate to define an elongated channel between the shaker plate and the channel bar in which the filled containers are maintained while partially supported by the shaker plate, and b. means for adjustably supporting the channel bar. 